The Man Who Lied to His Laptop: What We Can Learn About Ourselves from Our Machines

Clifford Nass · Corina Yen

Sep 2010 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

Counterintuitive insights about building successful relationships- based on research into human-computer interaction.

Books like Predictably Irrational and Sway have revolutionized how we view human behavior. Now, Stanford professor Clifford Nass has discovered a set of rules for effective human relationships, drawn from an unlikely source: his study of our interactions with computers.

Based on his decades of research, Nass demonstrates that-although we might deny it-we treat computers and other devices like people: we empathize with them, argue with them, form bonds with them. We even lie to them to protect their feelings.

This fundamental revelation has led to groundbreaking research on how people should behave with one another. Nass's research shows that:

• Mixing criticism and praise is a wildly ineffective method of evaluation
• Flattery works-even when the recipient knows it's fake
• Introverts and extroverts are each best at selling to one of their own

Nass's discoveries provide nothing less than a new blueprint for successful human relationships.
 

Ratings and reviews

Brezza Fhffft

About the author

Clifford Nass is the Thomas M. Storke Professor at Stanford University and director of the Communication between Humans and Interactive Media (CHIMe) Lab. He is a popular designer, consultant, and keynote speaker, and is widely quoted by the media on issues such as the impact of multitasking on young minds. He lives in Silicon Valley.